Opto-Electronics


Automotive LED drivers and controllers

1 February 2020 Opto-Electronics

ON Semiconductor has launched a new family of four devices that facilitate the high levels of performance and innovative functionality that vehicle manufacturers and consumers now expect from automotive exterior and interior lighting. Aimed specifically at low-power solid state lighting, the new family comprises two LED drivers (NCV7683 and NCV7685) and two current controllers (NCV7691 and NCV7692).

In the pursuit of improved road safety, automakers are moving away from the simple ‘on/off’ operation to sophisticated systems that incorporate movement and variable intensity within rear combination lamps (RCLs), turn signals, fog lamps, and other externally modulated LED clusters to give clearer and highly visible warnings to other road users.

The NCV7685 and NCV7683 integrate twelve and eight linear programmable current sources, respectively, enabling multiple strings of LEDs to be driven with up to 100 mA per channel. The devices provide an array of configurability options, including daisy-chaining, illumination level control, current regulation, sequencing functionality, and channel combination.

The NCV7685 incorporates an 8-bit I2C interface with CRC8 error detection for individual output current adjustment via pulse width modulation (PWM), and for advanced diagnostics – including detection of an open LED string or under-voltage condition; a dedicated diagnostic pin is also available. The NCV7685 may be powered with a DC-DC controller and/or LDO voltage regulator, depending upon specific design requirements.

The NCV7691 provides a regulated wide current range for driving LEDs in one or multiple strings, with only an external NPN bipolar transistor and a feedback resistor. The driver provides design flexibility to add additional single channels to multi-channel systems, and supports a dimming function via its PWM input. The NCV7691 includes open string, short circuit, and thermal shutdown, ensuring safe and reliable operation of essential lighting. The derivative NCV7692 offers a faster response time and a reduced threshold for open load detection.


Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

USB Type-C-powered controllers
Future Electronics Power Electronics / Power Management
Diodes Incorporated has released two USB Type-C PD 3.1 extended power range sink controllers that can be embedded into battery-powered devices.

Read more...
Easy Nixie tube display
Dizzy Enterprises Opto-Electronics
MIKROE has launched Nixie Power Click, a booster Click board designed to provide high voltage for powering Nixie Tube (cold cathode display) shields.

Read more...
SoC for real-time AI at the edge
Future Electronics DSP, Micros & Memory
Ambiq’s Apollo330 Plus series is purpose-built to enable always-on and real-time AI inferencing on devices.

Read more...
Evaluation kit for ML applications
Future Electronics DSP, Micros & Memory
The hardware kit includes radar, acoustic, pressure and motion sensors and integrates dual Arm Cortex-M4 and Cortex-M0+ CPU cores.

Read more...
Power relays for energy management applications
Future Electronics Power Electronics / Power Management
The Panasonic Industry HE-R Series is an energy management relay designed for single-phase or 3-phase AC charging units, combining high capacity, high switching, and low operating power into a small size power relay.

Read more...
Advanced eMMC storage solutions
Future Electronics DSP, Micros & Memory
Alliance Memory provides advanced NAND flash memory storage solutions that follow the JEDEC eMMC v5.1 standard to meet the growing demand for efficient, high-capacity storage solutions in today’s digital era.

Read more...
NPU in the most powerful STM32 processor
Future Electronics DSP, Micros & Memory
The STM32N6 is STMicroelectronics’ newest and most powerful STM32 and the first to come with the company’s Neural-ART Accelerator, a custom NPU capable of 600 GOPS.

Read more...
E-mobility innovation: balancing power, sensors, and connectivity
Future Electronics Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services
The future of e-mobility is being shaped by innovations in power systems, connectivity, and sustainable design, and this article explores key technologies driving the industry forward.

Read more...
ST’s biosensing tech enables next-gen wearables
Future Electronics DSP, Micros & Memory
The highly integrated biosensor device combines an input channel for cardio and neurological sensing, with motion tracking and embedded AI core, for healthcare and fitness applications.

Read more...
Advanced HMI delivers enhanced durability
Fox Controls Rand Opto-Electronics
This compact touchscreen HMI from IDEC provides essential visualisation and high-performance multitouch control, even in the most space-limited applications.

Read more...